Claiming Honor (Bad Boys of River City Book 3) by Elle Wylder

steps forward and her expression does not fill me with cheer. "Mark," she says.
    I have an idea where she's going with this but it still doesn’t make much sense.
    "What about him?"
    "Did you think I didn’t check him out, Honor? It's what I do."
    I'm trying to figure out how to respond to that when the front door bangs open. I rush to the hall to see what the hell is going on. Hunter stalks in and comes right to me. He kisses me and I forget every damn thing that worries me. When he releases me, I'm not sure what I'm thinking except maybe I don’t want him to let me go. No. That's a lie. I definitely don’t want him to let me go. I want him to convince me that this can work, and that isn’t fucking fair, is it?
    "Are you okay, baby?" he asks.
    I can't believe he's asking me that. He's the one who got handcuffed and taken down town.
    "I'm fine."
    "I'm not so sure about that," Ryder says. "Someone did use the codes to get in and took Honor's laptop."
    I swear to God, Hunter gets a poker up his ass. The look he levels on me makes me sigh. I'm not scared of him anymore. Not at all. I know he'd never hurt me. Turn the world upside down to protect me? Hell yeah. Hurt me? Fuck no. Never.
    "I'm okay, Hunter," I say. "I was with you when it happened, remember?"
    "And you're staying with me so I can make sure it stays that way. No one is getting close to you," he says.
    He doesn’t look convinced, though. He looks all crazed alpha male. I have to admit, there's a part of me that accepts it. The other part of me wants to laugh at this ridiculousness, to discourage the hell out of it. But I'm also really scared. I mean. Where did this shit come from? Who is after me and why?
    "Let's assume it was Wayne," Grace says. "How did he get the code?"
    "My guess would be from Kylie Davis. She owns the housekeeping service we use," Ryder answers.
    "Pay her a visit. Let her know her services are no longer required and she owes me big," Hunter says, voice tight and grim. I can't believe he's going to let it go at just that. Then again, what do I know about his world? Maybe owing him is a huge deal.
    Then he turns to me.
    "Your boss. What is it he does, exactly?" Hunter asks and this question makes me very uncomfortable. It's that whole crime boss thing. Also, it's a secret. Though, Grace brought it up, too, or was going to. Fortunately, I really can't tell anyone much. Mark never talks about what he's working on.
    "I don’t know," I lie. I can tell he sees right through me. His eyes narrow as he clenches his jaw. He doesn’t say anything though.
    "He know anything about this? The stalking? The break-in?"
    I shake my head. It's not the kind of thing you casually drop on your boss, is it?
    "We need to talk to him, Honor."
    Oh, shit. I really don’t want my personal life colliding with my professional life. Mark and Hunter do not need to meet. With my luck they'd start comparing notes and gang up on me. Mark's enough of a mother hen as it is. I shake my head.
    "Not gonna happen, babe."
    He cocks an eyebrow, but whether that's because of the slipped endearment or defying what is basically an order, I have no clue. He shrugs one shoulder as if to say whatever, I'll do as I please. Damn it. Lynn interrupts before I can argue.
    "We're heading home. Let me know if you need anything, Honor."
    She has her hand pressed to her stomach and looks a little wan. I've been wondering if there's something going on for a few weeks but don’t ask right now. The others either leave or scatter, too.
    "What's that look for?" Hunter asks.
    "Probably nothing."
    He half snorts half laughs. "I know you better than that, baby."
    "I was just speculating. I don’t think I've seen Lynn have a drink in several weeks, not even at her wedding. And she looked pretty pale when they left."
    He takes my hand and pulls me into the living room to the couch.
    "You think she's pregnant?" He sounds intrigued and maybe a little jealous.
    "The thought's crossed my mind."
    "You